Bearings make possible the connecting of two objects while maintaining a rotational degree of freedom, with the result that the objects can perform a pivoting or rotation relative to each other. In rolling-element bearings this function is ensured by rolling elements that are rotatably retained between two raceways.
There are rolling-element bearings in axial as well as radial construction. Axial rolling-element bearings include a first bearing shell including a first raceway and a second bearing shell including a second raceway, wherein the bearing shells are rotatable relative to each other about a common axis of rotation that essentially corresponds to a surface normal of the bearing shells, and wherein the first raceway is disposed opposite the second raceway. Radial rolling-element bearings include an inner bearing ring including a radially outwardly facing first roadway and an outer bearing ring including a second raceway facing radially inward toward the inner bearing ring. An axis of rotation of the bearing extends through the centerpoint of the two bearing rings. To avoid losses due to friction as well as to extend the service life of a rolling-element bearing it is advantageous if the surfaces of the raceways as well as the rolling elements have a lowest-possible roughness.
For the manufacture of bearing components, such as, for example, bearing rings of rolling-element bearings including raceways for the rolling elements, raw material, e.g., tube- or rod-shaped raw material, e.g., made of 100Cr6, is initially processed into an annular blank by machining processes, such as, for example, turning or fine turning, or by forming processes such as forging, deep drawing, or rolling, and subsequently subjected to a heat treatment. A common heat treatment is three-stage and comprises, for example, austenitization at approximately 850° C., case-hardening at approximately 40° C., and quenching and tempering at approximately 170° C. In the following work areas the surfaces of the bearing ring or of the bearing disc are ground and optionally further smoothed by fine grinding, honing, and/or polishing.
Standard methods for manufacture of bearing rings or bearing discs have the disadvantage that to achieve low surface roughnesses very high production costs as well as long production times arise, since the work steps required therefor of fine grinding, honing, and/or polishing involve a special production expense.
Depending on usage type, rolling-element bearings are subject to more or less strongly pronounced wear since they make possible a relative movement involving friction of two objects. In particular with an eccentric or impulsive load as well as with use of too little lubricant or with ingress of hard foreign bodies into the rolling-element bearing, increased wear occurs on the rolling-element bearing. Due to wear, particles, for example, of the surfaces of the raceways and of the rolling elements are removed and thus the roughness of these surfaces is increased. This leads to an increased friction inside the rolling-element bearing between the raceways and the rolling elements, an increased frictional resistance, and to an increased heating as well as an increased wear of the rolling-element bearing. Starting at a certain degree of wear, rolling-element bearings must be repaired, or in the case of irreparable damage to rolling-element bearings, replaced.
According to conventional methods for repair of worn or damaged bearings, as a rule first the rolling-element bearing is disassembled, the lubricant removed, and the surfaces of the raceways or of the rolling elements are mechanically reworked, e.g., by polishing, in order to achieve a desired surface roughness. The rolling-element bearing is subsequently assembled again using fresh lubricant.
Known methods for the repair of worn or damaged rolling-element bearings have the disadvantage that in particular the mechanical processing of the surfaces is very time- or cost-intensive.